The Elucidation of Aftermath
by Twilight Hours
Summary: A new adventure presents itself in the form of a letter from King Mickey. But something else also emerges, and Riku can't stop it from breaking him.
1. Portent

Well, I guess this is new for me. I never thought I'd be writing something more than a one-shot, but here it is! Basically, this is about Riku. Sorry you get such a short intro, but I'm going to try and make all the other chapters much longer (and maybe go back and lengthen this one when I get the hang of writing). Also, a heads up- this story starts off from the scene that takes place after the KHII credits.  
**Warning. **There will be spoilers in here for KHI, KHRe:CoM, and KHII. Don't say I didn't warn you! Also, I'm going to _try _and make it a darker fic, so there might be some cursing, and there will be violence and slightly disturbing images. Yep.

**Disclaimer. **I don't, nor will I ever own the Kingdom Hearts Franchise(or Disney, for that matter), and I definitely don't believe this is what's going to happen after KHII. I'm just making stuff up.

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**Chapter One: Portent**

**n. **an indication or omen of something about to happen, esp. something momentous.

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"From the King?"

Riku and Kairi peered down at the note held between Sora's fingers. All three shared the same emotions at that moment – curiosity, eagerness, with a hint of anticipation. While Sora and Kairi's faces showed these feelings like an open book, Riku's practiced facial expressions subtly veiled them, showing instead a smirk. Three pairs of eyes read through the contents:

_Sora, Riku, Kairi, _

_I hate to be ruining your time at home so soon, but something's come up. _

_Another world was found, near the boundary of our galaxy, and its Keyhole was overlooked. Whatever Heartless were left over from you three are now flocking to this world. Strangely, the Heartless levels there are lower than average. I believe that there are warriors there, probably not with Keyblades but still posing a threat to the Heartless. I'd go investigate myself, but I can't leave my castle again so soon. _

_Sora, I want you to go check it out. Since Donald and Goofy can't come, Riku, Kairi, you need to go with Sora. Although I have a feeling that they know about the other worlds, don't be __**too **__conspicuous. Seal the keyhole and deal with any Heartless that get in your way. _

_Since I think you need a little more time catching up with your islands, amongst other things, I'll be sending a Gummi ship in about a month._

_Mickey_

_PS~ Be careful when you get to this planet. Although the Keyhole is the main problem, I feel there's something else going on._

There was no further explanation to what the post script meant. That didn't seem to phase Sora, however; he threw the paper in the air enthusiastically and let out a short _whoop._

"This is great! We finally get to go to another world _together _for once. Although what the King said is a little strange… it can't be that bad, though! I can't wait…" he ran around the two excitedly. Riku caught the letter and examined it for himself.

"Amongst other things… there's a lot of mystery in this letter. The King always had a way with covering things up for later," he frowned, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes distant, as if in thought. A few moments passed, then a soft _oh _came from his lips.

"He must have meant you, Kairi."

"Huh?" Kairi and Sora both paused to glance up at him. Riku blinked slowly, continuing.

"Well, if you're coming with us, you'll need to train. I only gave you your Keyblade a while ago, so you're not completely in sync with it. And it would be good if you learned magic."

"That's right!" Sora stated before Kairi could voice her thoughts. "Although the Heartless are probably not so bad, we dunno what else could attack us. And having someone besides me doing magic would be a great help. I was always used to Donald casting spells; even if I healed and did the occasional Aeroga, I mostly neglected magic. And Riku…"

"I never really learned much of the normal spells, and even when I did I didn't have much use for them."

"Yeah! So Kairi, you could be our primary spellcaster."

Kairi grinned at Sora, her eyes bright. She giggled, "That's great, since I don't think I'll ever get as great as you two with a Keyblade. I haven't had years of training with that."

"So it's settled," the eyes returned to Riku again, who gave a sharp nod, "we'll train Kairi, and then we'll be set to leave when Mickey sends the ship."

"We should get started! But uh," Sora turned to the sky, which had darkened as the sun started to sink below the horizon, "maybe we should start tomorrow. I'm tired." He grinned sheepishly.

"You two go on ahead. I'll catch up in a bit," Riku said, smiling softly. He turned back towards the paopu tree and began to climb back up on it.

"See you tomorrow, then! Let's go, Sora." They raced each other to the dock, Riku watching until they jumped in their boats. He turned his head back towards the quickly fading sunset, eyes reflecting the burnt oranges and purples that the sky presented. There was a bad taste in his mouth, he realized, as he let out a soft sigh_. _

_Funny how I ended up here again, after everything._

His eyes widened as a stabbing pain erupted from his chest, making him fold over in pain and land ungracefully on the sand below. His sight faltered and the corners of his vision faded to black.

"What…" He shakily stood up, his right arm clutching over his heart. A couple harsh coughs sounded from his throat, and he used his left hand to cover his mouth.

The sky grew darker.

His coughing subsided, and he slowly moved his hand away from his face to stare at it with shock. He dropped to his knees in the sand, the ache in his chest still burning, and he duly noted a wet feeling sliding down from the corner of his mouth.

His hand was black.

"This is…" Almost unseeing, he lifted a finger to the wet spot on his mouth. It came away with a strand of black spit. He hurriedly wiped his soiled hand on the ground, watching it leave a dark trail on the coarse grains. The sound of the waves seemed to grow louder, overcoming his senses, and his eyes darted in every direction as his mind panicked.

_What's happening?_

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Yeah, a cliffhanger. Please **review** and tell me how you like it so far!


	2. Fortitude

I didn't expect to be updating so soon, haha, but I really like writing. Lots more words in this chapter than the last! I think I understand why writers want reviews so much, now- they're like comments on Deviantart. I'm great with favourites and stuff, but I really like getting comments. So on here, I adore people who review! Thank you **Shadow Oblivion **for reviewing the first chapter. I appreciate it a lot!  
**Warning. **There will be spoilers in here for KHI, KH Re:CoM, and KHII. Don't say I didn't warn you! Also, I'm going to _try _and make it a darker fic, so there might be some cursing, and there will be violence and slightly disturbing images. For now, here's a lighter chapter. And before I forget, the characters might be a little, well, out of character. I'm not great with that...

**Disclaimer. **I don't, nor will I ever own the Kingdom Hearts Franchise(or Disney, for that matter), and I definitely don't believe this is what's going to happen after KHII. I'm just making stuff up.

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**Chapter Two: Fortitude**

**n. **mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously.

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"How's your leg, Riku?"

It had been a week since Mickey's letter washed up on the shores of Destiny Islands. The trio laid on the sand, their clothes soiled with the shallow water around them. Small waves ebbed in and out around them, sending their hair and thoughts back and forth, towards the ocean and then back to the shore again. The sky was crystal blue, puffy clouds scattered scarcely throughout – it was the middle of the day. Tidus, Selphie and Wakka weren't on the island; they decided to stay on the mainland. Selphie had been complaining how she had a _killer_ sunburn, and forced the two guys to keep her company while she recuperated. Sora, Riku, and Kairi had the islands to themselves for the day.

Sora was in the middle, with Kairi on his left and Riku to his right. They were in between the dock and the smaller elevated island with the Paopu Tree. Sora and Kairi had their eyes closed, but Riku kept his open, gazing into the never-ending sea of blue above their heads. He silently decided that the Legend of the Paopu Fruit was made up.

_Probably by someone who didn't believe in the strength that came with friends._

"It's been good for a while, Sora."

And it was. Although it took a while, with potions and Cure proving ineffective, Riku no longer felt the dull pain in his leg that stayed with him after passing through the Door to Light. After explaining to her what happened during the time she had passed through without them, Kairi suggested it just needed to get used to not having so much strain on it all the time. She turned out to be right – Riku felt the ache go away after spending most of his time sleeping, sitting on the Paopu Tree, building sandcastles, and altogether _not _running around through other worlds and fighting lords of darkness.

An ache in his leg didn't seem so bad to Riku now, compared to what had been happening the past week.

"It better be," Sora laughed, snapping Riku out of his reverie, "I thought I'd have to whop it off with the Keyblade. Then we wouldn't be able to go to that planet!" It's wasn't _we would've had to leave you behind when we set off_, not even as a joke. The silver-haired boy chanced a look at his friend, noticing his eyes were still closed. He sent a mental _thank you _in Sora's direction, hoping he felt it. His fingers dug into the sand, clutching the grainy mud in his hands as his silver hair glided across the shore with a slightly larger wave.

"Anyways," the enthusiastic boy continued, his eyes now open, "we have the rest of the day here. Let's spend it training! …Kairi?" He turned his head towards the girl. Eyes closed, she looked unbothered by Sora's prodding. She was asleep.

"Ah!" Sora jumped up suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at the slumbering girl. Riku sat up lazily and exhaled, slightly disappointed that his rest was over. He held back a yawn and instead smiled at the two. "Look who's the lazy bum now, huh? Kairi, wake up!" Sora yelled, nudging the girl's legs with his sandy shoes, succeeding in causing her to stir.

"Hnnn…?" She blinked a couple times, then sat up and shook her head. "Oh! Gee, sorry, the waves sounded so soothing. I couldn't help it." A giggle sounded from her lips.

"That's no excuse! You can't just fall asleep. This job can't afford you slacking off!"

"You're just as lazy as she is," Riku remembered saying something similar so long ago.

_Okay, let's finish it together!_

"Alright, well, maybe you can slack off some," Sora put his hands behind his head sheepishly, but kept his grin, "but I'm only returning the favor for all those times you interrupted _my _naps! So, front and center! You too, Riku!"

Groans and laughs emitted from the other two as they stood up and dusted off their backsides. Sora jumped up and down impatiently, chunks of wet sand flying out of his slightly drooping hair.

"So what's the plan?" Riku asked as he worked on brushing out his own long silver locks.

"Let's continue Kairi's training. And for taking after me and being a bum, it's gonna be super intense today," at that moment he picked up his and Riku's swords that were lying behind them, already used to spar that morning, "because me _and _Riku are going against you. At the same time."

"Hey! That's not fair at all, and you know it Sora. Both of you have got tons more practice than me."

"We'll go easy on you, then."

"Sora," Riku interjected, "she's kind of right. She's only got a week of training already, and I don't know how well I can hold back. We can save that fight for later, maybe next week."

"Fine," Sora frowned, but the smile on his face quickly came back, "we can do Plan B of my training schedule today. It'll still be two on one-"

"Sora, I don't think-"

"-but instead of you versus me and Riku, it'll be us two against him! That way, he doesn't have to restrain himself too much, you aren't at a disadvantage, and I get to help beat him up."

"Hey!"

"That sounds much better!" Kairi's face brightened at hearing Sora's idea. If she wasn't a Princess, Riku would've thought her _too _willing once the younger boy mentioned that he'd get beat up.

"Wait a minute-"

"Plus, you'll get better a lot faster with someone that isn't going soft, like I do when we spar."

"But-"

"Oh come on, Riku, it's not that bad. I know you'll like it. What's one more opponent? Besides, you used to go against Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie at the same time _all the time._ You can't possibly have gotten worse since then."

A sigh came from the tall teen's mouth. He rolled his eyes, but silently resigned. As if he had a chance anyways; once Sora had an idea in his head, it stuck there and didn't budge until he thought of something better. The blue-eyed boy was relentless, stubborn, and strong. Plus, Riku couldn't help but agree a little with Sora's new plan. Kairi probably would be improving more with someone who had an easier time fighting harder, not softer, and Sora would cut in if things got too bad.

He held out his hand, catching his wooden sword when Sora swiftly tossed it to him.

"Of course," Sora continued, "you'll be using your Keyblade. Me and Riku will stick with these." He tossed his own sword up in the air with a twirl, catching it in his other hand.

"Riku, go ahead to Paopu Island. Me and Kairi need to discuss our game strategy." He turned to the other boy with teeth showing happily, his eyes twinkling. Kairi waved at him as he began to walk off.

"Okay, so Riku's technique is a little different from most fighters, but I'll be shouting out some… _helpful commentary_ as you fight…"

Once the two were out of earshot, Riku raised his arms up in a stretch, clutching his wooden sword in both hands. He slowed a little to stretch his legs, then let out a loud yawn. His spar with Sora that morning wasn't a big one, but it had Riku tired – he was getting tired easier, now that his body realized he wasn't constantly on the move. Making up for all the nights spent trailing a Nobody or running errands for DiZ- Ansem. But he couldn't complain, thinking back to one of the many times when he couldn't sleep for a week; staying alert meant staying alive, and it all paid off in the end.

His mind snapped back to the present as he reached the bridge, his feet creaking softly on the weathered wooden planks beneath him. There was an uncomfortable itch in his shoes from all the sand that had invaded when the water swept around him, and he thought to take off his shoes and socks and wash them under the waterfall later. If he did now, then they'd just get itchy again after the fight, so he chose to bear it. Subconsciously he flipped his hair to the side, moving his bangs out of the way only for them to fall back into place.

_Maybe I should cut my hair before we leave._

The breeze was comforting against his skin, creating goosebumps from the ocean water that was drying, cooling him down. He still felt the heat, but he didn't sweat much, being too used to the year-round summer and the constant strain from fighting. A twinge was felt in his stomach, and he nervously hoped nothing bad happened during the fight. His… _reactions _had increased since the first time, but they only occurred during the twilight hours, dusk and dawn, and at night. However, than didn't stop Riku from being worried whenever he was around anyone else, especially Sora and Kairi. Although traveling to this planet wasn't a terribly dire quest, it needed to be done, and Riku didn't want to stop Sora and Kairi from going. If it got to a state where he was unable to fight, he'd tell them, and stay behind.

_You just don't want to be left, you know it, and you're making the situation worse by not telling anyone-_

He halted that thought with a shake of his head, instead focusing on the sounds around him. He sat on the Paopu tree facing the ocean and closed his eyes, effectively blocking the other negative feelings that had begun to sprout up. Ocean waves were a constant presence on the island, a soothing sound he had learned to block out when he wanted to. The leaves of the palm trees above him rustled in the wind, still big and vibrant even after the Storm, and the soft caws of a seagull resounded from somewhere farther off. He noticed the sounds he made himself – his breath, faintly blowing in and out at a slower pace; his clothes shifting, creating friction against smooth bark as he switched positions on the large trunk; a zipper on his black vest clinking back and forth as he swayed a little; his shoes, thumping against the tree and sending small particles of sand to fall off his feet and stick to the trunk or fall to the ground. His sword, which was also idly tapping against the trunk in short staccato raps; a quiet, sporadic beat to contrast the constant rhythm of his heart.

A muted _swoosh _of the air caught his attention, too sharp to be the wind.

And in a split second, he was twisting, holding up his sword defensively to block a bright Keyblade. The two blades connected will a dull sound, Riku's arms pushing with a little more force, his mind swiftly calculating the strength that was opposing him. Kairi seemed to mirror his thoughts as she pushed back softly. Their eyes connected for a brief moment – blue eyes with hints of purple were slightly narrowed in determination and astute judgment, while sea-green eyes were blank, only allowing to let through a shred of amusement – before they pushed away from each other, Kairi flying back to land by a long trunk and Riku turning his body fully to crouch facing the girl, his sword gripped tightly in his right hand. A loud thud sounded from Riku's right; Sora flipped up from the shore to reach the small island, landing beside the silverette on the tree. His head still facing Kairi, he looked from the corner of his eyes to see Sora with his wooden sword, his pose nonchalant but the weapon gripped with a fierceness the brunet always showed in battle. He had a small smile on, but had switched out most of his enthusiasm for a more serious attitude.

"Remember what we talked about, Kairi. Work on adapting your technique to complement your opponent's, and take in as much as you can-"

Still crouching, Riku turned his head and swung out his sword, aiming for Sora's legs. The boy jumped, back flipping midair to avoid the attack, and landed several feet from the trunk. A second later and Riku was turning back to face Kairi, who had took Riku's attack as an opening and was now swinging down on him. He straightened out some to prepare for the impact, moving his sword again to a blocking position, and forced his arms forward against the sharp blade. He drove the girl back a few steps with her Keyblade high above her head from the force the contact created, and before she could bring it back down he slid off the tree and began an attack of his own. A smirk appeared, and he was bringing his wooden weapon across Kairi's torso, not hurting her, but a hit that was strong enough to knock the air out of her lungs. The red head exhaled sharply and brought her arms down in a crossed position to deflect Riku's next attack, a diagonal slice from her top right shoulder to her left hip. She managed to absorb most of it with exerting her right arm outwards, shoving the sword away from her. At that moment, Sora shouted,

"Put him back on defensive!"

She nodded shortly, still glaring at Riku between the two weapons, and brought her blade further down - the wooden sword caught in the sharp metalwork of the bright leaves and flowers at the tip of Kairi's Keyblade. She moved her left arm outwards and swung her blade to the right, flinging Riku's sword out of his hand and crashing to the other side of the small island, between two palm trees. She moved again, this time sending her weapon back towards the boy in a horizontal shift. Riku's eyes widened a fraction, and he sent his own arms up to receive the brunt of the damage somewhere that didn't hinder him from breathing or moving. The cloth around his left arm shredded as a line of red stroked across his two appendages– the cut itself wasn't deep, but it stung and sent blood dripping down to his elbows. But Riku didn't waste time wincing. He maneuvered his leg across Kairi's legs, sending her crashing to the sand, and glided his feet to where his sword had landed.

_Oh man, I'm getting rusty, _he thought as he picked his weapon up and turned to the girl, who had already recovered from her forced trip. She started running towards him, and he braced himself again, looking briefly to where Sora had landed before. He wasn't there anymore.

This time he brought his sword up in a more offensive manner, meeting Kairi's Keyblade halfway, and mentally made sure to keep his own wooden brand clutched tighter in his hand and further down from the intricate design on the tip. Now Kairi was the one to kick, seeming to have more strength and speed after warming up a little. She voiced a short battle cry as her foot thrust forwards, connecting with Riku's knee as he brought his leg up to block. He straightened his leg out and sent his foot under the girl's thigh, then raised his leg more to cartwheel backwards – his sword shifting out from under the metal blade and above it – which sent Kairi flipping backwards with less grace. But she recovered mid-flip and rushed back to her silver-haired opponent, again sending her weapon crashing down on him as he crouched low to the ground with his arms spread outwards like wings. He twisted away just in time, his right leg stretching across his other and lunging forwards as he turned his shoulders and leaned back, watching the Keyblade pass in front of his face. Flecks of blood flew by, and red spot was beginning to grow on his pale arm warmer. He stood upright quickly and spun around to follow his right leg, allowing his arm to fling out and hit Kairi's shoulder with his sword. It smashed against her flesh with a resounding smack, only breaking her skin a little, but causing her to gasp out in pain and furrow her eyebrows.

_That'll leave a nasty bruise, _the silverette smirked.

But her anger influenced her attack, and she switched her style to an uppercut against Riku, avoiding his sword and cutting through his defenses. A sharp rip came from Riku's clothes being torn, and he was temporarily stunned from the pain that spread through his abdomen. Kairi used it to her advantage and gripped her Keyblade with both hands, sending it back across Riku's tall frame from right to left, causing him to be sent backwards with the impact and stumble a little from the pain that blossomed through his chest. Finally, the red-head gathered her energy and spun around, weapon moving in an arc and gathering momentum as she sent a foot towards the vulnerable teen. She sent the blade in another horizontal sweep across Riku and he cried out, landing harshly on his back towards the edge of the mini island. Kairi let out a hum of approval and flipped her hair briefly.

"Don't let your guard down," Sora called out hurriedly. But it was too late.

Riku coiled into a ball, still on his back, bending his knees to his chest and rocking backwards a bit. Kairi slowly registered it as Riku's trademark move that he used a long time ago when he sparred with Sora. However, she could barely even cross her arms in front of her chest before Riku uncoiled, sending him flying towards Kairi. His feet crashed into the girl violently as he sprung forward, knocking all air out of her and sending her flying back to hit one of the palm trees. Her Keyblade went flying from her hand, launching itself deep into the trunk of another tree. The girl's back and head cracked against the tall palm, sending a resounding thud throughout the island. She groaned and scrunched her eyes shut in pain as her head throbbed. A shadow fell over her, and she raised her head up dazedly, one eye cracking open; the blunt tip of a wooden sword was pointed a couple inches from her face, and her eye trailed up the sword to look at Riku, breathing loudly but slowly. She felt a small trickle of blood drip down her arm.

His clothes were a little torn and bloody, but his eyes were still shining and a smirk came back to his lips.

"Is that all you got?"

She cracked her other eye open, staring up at the bright eyes above her, judging the distance to her Keyblade and how much force she'd have to use to pull it out of the thick bark. The headache she had gained from hitting the tree was ignored.

Then, a rustle of leaves above them, and Sora dropped down behind Riku. The taller teen started to turn, leaving Kairi unguarded, and she jumped up and dashed over to the tree her blade was lodged in.

Sora dropped to a crouch to avoid Riku's swing, then catapulted upwards, using his shoulder to send Riku into the tree Kairi was just lying under. He tried to spin away, but couldn't stop Sora from pinning him. His back connected with the trunk and he felt his head crack against the tree much like Kairi, except brute strength held him upright. He exhaled.

Time seemed to slow as he turned his head, a little dizzy, and saw Kairi pull her weapon out of the palm tree, dodging a coconut that fell. He looked back down to see his blurry vision crowded with brown spikes. Then he slowly turned his head to the left, his eyes turning to thin slits. Below, Sora felt Riku's muscles bunch up.

And time sped up again.

The pinned teen stabbed his wooden sword between the two and used all his force to shove the smaller teen away. He pushed his back off the tree and shook his head sharply, sending the sharp feelings of pain to the back of his mind. He moved into his traditional fighting stance, knees partially bent and spread out, back bent, left arm out towards his side and right arm up high, brandishing his sword with a deadly poise. Kairi and Sora fell into their own battle stances, facing him with just as much ferocity and determination. A minute passed, the wind and waves the only sounds that could be heard, and then the red-head and brunet charged towards the silver-haired teen.

Riku braced himself for a much longer fight.

Their shadows were much longer now, and the sky was tinged with subtle pinks and oranges. While Sora and Kairi were recovering from their spar, Riku took the time to walk over to the waterfall and clean most of the blood caked on his skin, washing out his socks and shoes. He placed them on the dock to dry so he'd be able to put them on once they went home.

Once he returned to the Paopu tree, Sora tossed a glass bottle with glowing green liquid to Riku, who caught it with a little less grace than average. He pulled the cork out and downed it with the thirst of someone who hadn't drunk anything in a couple days, and felt a cooling sensation wash over him as his wounds healed. The other two had already downed their own Potions, cuts and bruises gone, leaving unmarred skin. Kairi's Keyblade was dismissed, and the two wooden swords lay safely beneath the trunk they sat on.

"I'll fix your clothes when we get back, Riku," Kairi offered.

"Thanks," Riku smiled, looking down at the material hanging off his frame. Tears and holes scattered the front, and one long rip down the back of his sleeveless jacket and vest from when Kairi spun around behind him and Sora in front, cutting off Riku's chances of blocking both their attacks. Sora and Kairi's clothes lacked the same rips due to the fact that wooden swords were not the sharpest of weapons, and Riku spent more of his energy going for their arms and legs with his sword. When he attacked their chests or stomachs, it was usually with kicks.

"You're getting good," Riku added softly. Kairi giggled.

"You bet she is! I _am _her trainer after all," Sora stated proudly, "and at this rate she'll be able to take out any Heartless we meet on this new planet! I bet we won't have any problems at all."

And like that, Riku's worry came back. He kept his face blank, but his insides churned with the thought of how late it was. Pushing back those feelings, he looked up at the two from his stance against the Paopu tree.

"What's the training plan for tomorrow?"

"Actually, uh, I was thinking we should take a break! I mean, Kairi, you've done awesome so far. And I've been an awesome trainer. So as a reward, we can all just slack off tomorrow. The day after, we'll start something different." Sora grinned at both of them, his eyes glowing with the light reflected from the sinking sun.

"That sounds good, actually," Kairi admitted, giggling, "Besides the fact that fixing Riku's clothes might take a while, I wanted to stay on the mainland tomorrow and go shopping with Selphie. I think Tidus and Wakka will be going with us too."

"That sounds… fun," Sora said sarcastically, elbowing the girl with a couple loud laughs, "You don't want me and Riku coming with you, right? Right?"

Kairi laughed back at him. "No, I know you two wouldn't want to come. Although if we keep up this training, Riku might need to go shopping for clothes sooner or later-"

"Oh, trust me, it's not gonna happen again," Riku said, mock-glaring up at the two, and briefly stuck out his tongue. "Not if I can help it."

"I guess it's just you and me on the island then, Riku old buddy of mine!"

"Great. I can whoop you for ganging up on me today."

"No fair, no fair!" Sora laughed and jumped off the large trunk. "If Kairi's not here, you're going to take it all out on me this time!"

"Don't say that like you're not a Keyblade master!" Riku tried to tackle Sora, but he jumped agilely out of the way and danced around to the other side of the Paopu Tree. Kairi giggled from her perch on the trunk and watched the two chase each other around it.

"Hehe. Let's go now, I'm exhausted. How about you guys settle it tomorrow?"

"Don't act like you're not his accomplice, Kairi!" Riku stopped and pointed an accusing finger at the girl. "But I could use a bed right now, anyways."

"Alright, let's go! I'll race you, Riku," Sora called as he jumped off the small island and started splashing through the waves.

"Hey, you cheater! Is that your new strategy now, to cheat with everything you do?" He jumped off, following close behind the laughing boy. Kairi laughed before she jumped off too, running at a slightly slower pace. Sora beat Riku by a couple feet; he was always the quicker of the two. Riku slowed to pick up his shoes and socks, putting them on before jumping in his own boat. Sora waited for Kairi to catch up before he started rowing his own vessel, and the red-head carefully leapt in the last remaining boat.

They reached the mainland as the sun reached the edge of the sea.

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Yeah sorry, there's not much about Riku's 'condition' in this chapter. Please **review **and tell me how you like it, though! I'd appreciate it a ton.


	3. Rebound

Well, here you go! Chapter Three! I didn't think I'd stay with this story for so long. Here's a note to go along with this chap; **this isn't a romance. **I'm not writing this with the intention of any pairing! Riku, Sora and Kairi are really, really good friends. Sora and Riku are **best **friends. This chapter might come off a little slashy to you, haha. I didn't write it to be, but if you want to believe there's more than just friendship between them, or any other characters, then I am perfectly okay with that. One more note~ I might go back and revise a couple scenes in this chapter, along with the other ones.  
**Shadow Oblivion**, thanks again for reviewing! You're very kind. And I certainly hope I can keep up to your expectations.  
Thank you also, **Yami no Kokoro**! That was my first time doing a fight scene, but I'm glad you think it turned out all right. And I definitely try to expand my vocaublary while I write.  
**Warning. **There will be spoilers in here for KHI, KH Re:CoM, and KHII. Don't say I didn't warn you! Also, I'm going to _try _and make it a darker fic, so there might be some cursing, and there will be violence and slightly disturbing images.

**Disclaimer. **I don't, nor will I ever own the Kingdom Hearts Franchise(or Disney, for that matter), and I definitely don't believe this is what's going to happen after KHII. I'm just making stuff up.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Rebound**

**v. **1. to bound or spring back from force of impact.  
2. to recover, as from ill health of discouragement.

* * *

Riku woke up with a wet feeling on his face, a horrible taste in his mouth, and a sharp stabbing in his chest.

His room was dark, the curtains blocking all light except a thin strip of pink that landed conveniently on his face. Usually he didn't like his room completely in darkness; he kept the curtains open so the light from the sunrise would wake him up. He liked the feeling of waking up just before dawn, able to watch the sun get up as he did in a flurry of pinks and purples and oranges. Everything was quiet, peaceful, and calm.

Now, dawn only reminded the teen of black, and he kept the curtains closed as if to keep it away. Nevertheless, it showed up through his window every morning.

The silverette spent a couple minutes untangling himself from his sheets weakly – he vaguely remembered a nightmare, but pushed it away, willing himself to forget – and tripped over to the grand window on the other side of the room. He glared out through the parted curtains at the beautiful sky; his eyes not used to the light, he closed the gap, shrouding the rest of his room in shadow. Next, he stumbled over to the small connected bathroom, grabbing on to the cold counter to regain his balance, and took a couple slow breaths, eyes closed. Slowly, Riku turned on the lights.

His eyes scrunched shut again as a ringing sound pierced his ears. Hesitantly he blinked a few times to get his eyes to adjust, and then looked up into the mirror.

If he blanched, it couldn't be seen.

His face was black. Small patches of skin were still visible, but most of it was smudged dark. His hair, which was rugged and tangled, seemed to be dyed partially black towards the middle, and some of his locks dripped with the ink. His nightshirt, which was once a soft white, had large dark stains on the front. He raised his hands – vaguely noticing they had splotches of the shadowy liquid on them too – and brought them to his cheeks, harshly raking across them with his nails. It left streaks of white on his face and dark residue underneath his fingernails. Suddenly he swooned, a dizziness overcoming him, and retained his grip on the counter, letting his head drop. He watched as drips of the dark substance from his hair and face drip into the porcelain sink in front of him for a few moments before turning the water on. He hunched over, running his hands through the ice cold water. Clear liquid soon turned to black in a split second, and he quietly waited for his hands to lose their stains. Thoughts raced through his head as he stared straightforward absentmindedly.

_This can't be happening. I mean, Xehanort's gone, I got rid of him so many times, everything should be okay– nothing should be __**wrong **__with me– I can't even open a portal anymore, and almost all my dark magic is gone– maybe I was never meant to–_

_Should I tell the King? _

_Should I tell Sora? Should–_

_No, I can't– but I have to. It's getting worse, not better, and at this rate I won't be able to even summon my Keyblade by the time that ship gets here. Maybe I should try contacting Mickey today. Maybe I should tell Sora, we have the whole day together anyways… _

_Maybe this just proves that I'm… _

The silver-haired boy focused his eyes back on his hands again, noticing that they were clean.

…_I'll just take a shower. _

Riku turned the faucet off, vaguely registering his hands getting dirty again after touching the knob covered with black fluid. He pulled his stained shirt off with one swift move and threw it in the sink, heading back to his bed. Ripping the twisted sheets off – noticing they were stained as well – he stuffed them under his arm, putting his pillow under the other. Fortunately, the dark substance hadn't sunk into his mattress. Padding softly back to the bathroom, he dumped the ruined materials into a hamper. The light from the bathroom spilled into his room as he moved clumsily to his dresser and pulled out clothes. He had dropped his regular clothes off at Kairi's before he started acting up yesterday, so he absentmindedly decided to wear plainer garbs. The boy's shaking hands found black pants that went a little past his knees, and a sleeveless yellow shirt with purple trims and a high mandarin-styled collar.

The dazed teenager went back to the bathroom, hanging his clothes on the towel rack. He pulled off his boxers and stepped into the shower, pulling the glass door closed behind him and turning the water on. Air was blown suddenly out of his lips, sending cool water spraying forwards with some black spit. The boy scrunched his eyes closed and leaned his head up toward the shower head, opening his mouth wide and gargling for a few seconds before dropping his head back down and letting the gray water spill out and funnel into the drain. He brought his hands up, trembling and covered with goosebumps, and rubbed them against his face brutally. More gray water washed down the drain, darkened from the shadows caking his body. Riku let the chilled water cascade down and wash all the darkness off before he moved the water to hot, turning around and letting it pound on the back of his head. Fingers ran through the silver hair that fell far past his shoulders, yanking every now and then on knots. He pulled roughly on a larger one, managing to rip out a chunk of white hair. He winced, and let it slip out of his hand and glide towards the drain, feeling a tear slide down his face. A finger tentatively reached up and touched the new speck of wetness, and he brought it in front of his gaze to find it black.

_I can't fix this…! _

Sobs echoed throughout the room.

* * *

Sora found Riku on the other side of the island.

The silverette was lying, hands behind his head, in the small, elevated room that connected to the rope pulley. Afternoon sunlight illuminated the top of his head, making his silver hair glow. His eyes were shut, a peaceful look on his face.

He looked like he was in a deep sleep.

Sora refrained from his usual habit of being loud and invasive when he came upon sleeping figures, instead choosing to settle down beside the slumbering boy. He quietly let out a gust of air and observed the developing day around him.

Everything was as it was before the Storm– the palm trees were upright and still standing strong. Coconuts, green and brown, littered the ground as always. The bridge they always raced on had partially collapsed, but it was still useable; many times had both of the boys pretended to fix the wooden structure, just to trick the other into running on the faulty planks and falling, subsequently losing their current race. The small cave on the wall, still shadowed but shallow, lacked the treasure that once sat in it– ever curious, Riku had boosted Sora up into the cavern after many individual attempts, only a couple days after they decided to build the raft.

Sora sat up a little to peer down at the raft. It was one of the few things that was affected by the Storm, ironically. Although the three friends had never finished it, they decided to keep it once they returned. The mast had snapped in half, hundreds of wooden shards hazardously pointing out the thick log in the center. More shards had scattered about the area, along with the other half of the mast closer to the shack entrance, but Riku had deemed them too dangerous to just leave around, and picked them up with the help of Tidus and Wakka earlier that week.

The spiky-haired boy thought it odd that they didn't pick them up while he and Riku were gone, but he supposed no one went to the smaller island that often after what happened.

He looked up, eyes stopping at the yellow star situated further away, on top of one of the coconut trees– the tag point for their races, a bright beacon signifying the half-way point for the course.

_If I win, I'm captain! And if you win… _

_I get to share the Paopu with Kairi. _

_Huh? _

_Deal? The winner gets to share a Paopu with Kairi. _

Sora let out a short hum, letting a miniscule smile appear on his face while he reminisced. _Matters back then were so small, compared to now. _

The teen took one last glance around the peaceful scene before turning back to the silverette lying beside him. He jumped a little when he noticed Riku was staring at him, his hands moved into his lap.

"Hey," he said quietly with a soft smile.

"Good morning," Sora replied pointedly, smirking back at his friend, "You've been sleeping a lot. And by that, I mean a lot more than you normally do." It wasn't the first time this week he'd caught his friend napping.

"I had a rough morning," Riku replied with a flat tone, looking out towards the coconut trees.

"Another one, huh? That's like, the fourth one this week. Did you wanna just sleep over at my house tonight?"

"No…" The white-haired boy turned his head to face his feet, bangs falling over his eyes, but Sora could see glints of aqua looking up at him. He stretched before standing up and putting a hand on top of Riku's head, patting him roughly. An indignant snort rose from the teen, and Sora chuckled.

"Well, I'll race you to Paopu Island then. I don't want this spar to last through the evening." He felt a flinch from the body below him and tapped his fingers on the soft hair absentmindedly.

"…You're not going to cheat, are you?"

"No! Of course not," Sora made sure Riku didn't see his grin. His hand shifted as the taller boy rose and stretched.

"Fine," the silverette huffed finally. He stood at the edge of the raised shack with Sora.

"Sweet. Okay, on my count," they hunched down, ready to launch themselves off of the wooden floor and out to the ground.

"Ready…" Riku twisted his right ankle a little further back.

"Set-" And Sora was moving to kick off the planks and fly out towards the bridge– but not before Riku swept his foot around in a sharp kick, tripping the shorter teen, who went crashing down to the sand below. A shrill _Hey! _could be heard as the brunet went plummeting down.

"You were totally thinking about cheating!" The long-haired teen shouted out in response, before he jumped out and landed cleanly beside the tangled heap of Sora that lay on the ground. Laughs burst out of his mouth as he started to run across the bridge, jumping over the gaps and reaching the wooden door, while Sora picked himself up and groaned.

"Not fairrr…"

Riku reached the Paopu tree first.

His silver hair was windswept, but there wasn't a trace of sweat. A grin had stuck on his face the entire time, worries and fears temporarily forgotten. He crouched down and grabbed the two wooden swords underneath the sideways trunk.

"No cheating, huh?" Turning, he froze when he saw Sora walking towards him with his Keyblade. The brunet's smirk quickly dropped when he saw his friend, rigid with apprehension and bewilderment in his eyes. He frowned.

"Relax," he said, the word seeming to wipe the uneasiness of Riku's face. Sora casually raised his Keyblade– Sleeping Lion, a grey and black blade with an intricate lion's head as the keychain– and continued, "I was thinking we could use our Keyblades instead."

Riku cocked his head in doubt, eyeing the single arrowhead point protruding near the tip of the sharpened weapon.

"…You want to hurt me."

There was a short silence, as the brunet paused in shock.

"No! No, oh gosh- of course not, Riku. What's gotten into you?" He walked over to the teen, looking up at him. "I'd never _want_ to hurt you. I mean, I love sparring with you, and you can't really help hurting things when you do that. But it'll just be like yesterday, since Kairi used her Keyblade. Except you'll be using one too, of course," Sora added quickly, softly punching Riku in the arm with his left hand. "Besides, it's not like we haven't fought each other with our Keyblades before."

"Yeah," Riku finally nodded, giving a shake of his head, "that's true. I dunno. Sorry." He tossed the swords back under the tree.

_That was weird. Why would I doubt him?_

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah!" He repeated, and held out his hand, palm down, summoning Way to Dawn. He faced Sora with a smirk and his traditional battle stance. "Let's do this. And Sora?"

"Hm?"

"Don't cheat!" He raised his arm higher, and lunged.

* * *

The fight dragged on, but neither boy seemed tired. Parries, dodges and rolls contrasted the sharp sounds of blade striking blade which echoed throughout the island. The range of cuts and scrapes on both of them were great, and their clothing was shredded horrendously– Sora's sleeves were practically ripped off, his shirt bearing several tears, and his pants looking like a knife was took to them. Riku wasn't any better off; his plain yellow shirt sporting large open streaks in the front and back, as well as his pants. However, they focused on making sure their jabs didn't go too deep, so only small stains of red appeared on their garments.

A particular swipe of Riku's Keyblade had Sora backwards somersaulting on the sand, taking his own weapon in both hands and pressing it to the ground. He pushed off from it as he rolled over completely and flung himself into the air, landing on his feet behind the Paopu tree. He dodge-rolled to the left when the taller teen leapt over the tree himself, glided over to a palm tree with a hard kick of his feet, and hooked his blade to the tall trunk. Swinging himself around, he unhooked the blade and went flying towards Riku, his feet extended. In response to this, Riku flipped his blade to wear he was holding it sideways, the flatter part meeting the brunt of Sora's shoes. He pushed against the pressure, compelling the impact to equalize, then thrust his arms out and sent the boy up into the air. He jumped onto the tree and crouched down. While Sora was twisting his body back towards the earth, Riku uncoiled, springing upwards with his weapon poised slightly in front of him, ready to slash the other. Just as the offensive blade reached the boy, Sora completed his flip with his own Keyblade in a similar position, and the two swords met again with a massive impact that sent both diving back down.

While Riku landed on the sand, knees bent, sending a cloud of dust flaring outwards, Sora dropped to the top of a palm tree, causing the tall plant to shudder and all the coconuts to drop off. The higher boy jumped down with his blade situated above his brown spikes, ready to descend on the head of silver below him, but his blade instead met the trunk of a palm tree with a dull _shunk_ when Riku twirled to the side, anticipating the attack. As Sora worked on pulling the sharp gray blade out of the tree, the silverette sliced his back, still spinning, sending the violated boy jetting to the side with a yelp. His unoccupied hand closed around the black hilt of Sleeping Lion, and he yanked on the Keyblade. It flew out, sending Riku stumbling back a little, but still holding tight to the weapon. But just as he turned to use it against Sora, a violent mass came hurtling into him, forcing all the air out of his lungs while he was kicked to the ground.

The older teen tried to regain his breath, but a heavy pressure was crushing his chest, and he found himself losing his grip on both of the sharpened weapons.

"Give up?"

The pressure increased as Sora – who was standing triumphantly on Riku – bent down to collect the two Keyblades and press them against the defeated boy's clavicle. While Sleeping Lion didn't puncture the yellow shirt at all, Way to Dawn's sharp point pierced through the material and broke Riku's skin a little.

"Oops," Sora quickly moved the blades aside, watching them disappear with each of their dismissals, but remained perched on top of his friend. "But I didn't hear a surrender."

The silver-haired boy wheezed in response, although a grin had formed on his pained face. The afternoon sun beat down on the two of them as a second passed, filled with only loud gasps and chuckles. Riku knew Sora was only playing around now, and wouldn't let him pass out or anything–

And like a train, a needle-like agony burst in his chest, his grin twisting into a grimace, then shifting again as his jaw snapped open into a muted scream.

In a split-second, Sora's humored gaze morphed into horror as he saw a spot on Riku's yellow shirt – the same spot Way to Dawn had pricked – form a small dot of ebony, a black hole in contrast to the bright hue. The tiny splotch quickly blossomed into a large inky stain the width of his hand as he scrambled to get off his friend, allowing him air. It didn't seem to help at all; Riku's mouth was locked open in voiceless shrieks, his eyes snapping shut violently only to open again, sea-green glazed over with pain. His back arched as all the cuts gained from the spar gushed out the dark ink, covering his yellow shirt with blisters of black. He rolled onto his side, curling into a tight ball. The air smelled like death.

Sora found his voice again.

"**Riku!**"

He dove for the boy, grabbing him and pulling him up to his chest. Tremors racked through the body against him as Riku clutched Sora's shirt roughly, almost clawing more tears into it. The brunet raised a hand briefly to find it covered with black fluids before moving the silverette into a different position. His own body trembled, whether from his friend or fear overcoming him he wasn't sure. He winced as nails raked across his arm.

"Riku, what-"

"Sss… ssorry," the agonized teen hissed, peering up at his distressed companion with an unbearable look of torture evident in his eyes. Black ink had started to drip out of his mouth, dropping onto Sora's clothes like soot-filled rain.

"Not… n-not sssupposed t-t-to hap-happen… d-dur…ing the day," Riku gasped. His head dropped suddenly and a surge of black liquid flowed past his lips, splashing against the brunet's legs and the sand below. Sora fought back the urge to throw up also.

"What do you **mean** _during the day_!? Oh _god_, Riku…!" He hurriedly searched through his pockets to pull out a Potion, pulling off the cork. He moved a hand to the back of Riku's head, supporting it as he pressed the bottle to the boy's lips and poured the contents down his throat. The cuts on the white-haired teen faded, but ebony fluids still ran out of his mouth as he coughed up some of the Potion. Nevertheless, Sora noticed the violent shaking had lessened to inconstant trembles, his heart rate slowing as the breaths became less shallow and rushed.

Cautiously, Sora lifted the vexed teen up into his arms in an awkward cradle, realizing he was much lighter than he would have guessed. Riku thrashed, letting out a long moan, and Sora tightened his grip, beginning to make his way to the waterfall. His eyes glanced downwards briefly to find aqua eyes narrowing into thin slits, eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up. A pained blink, and Sora saw that Riku's pupils were dilated into huge orbs. A black tear had trekked its way across the chalk white face.

It seemed to take forever to reach the clean, unsalted pool– multiple times Sora had to stop and let Riku throw up more of the putrid ink. Once the two of them got there, Sora had to calm his friend down long enough to take his ruined yellow shirt and shoes off and place him in the water. Seconds later, he jumped in and let Riku cling to him like a life preserver while he tried to wash off the both of them. As he gently scrubbed his face, the boy's eyes now screwed shut, he observed that the cool water appeared to soothe him. Ignoring the water darkening around them, Sora lowered his head to rest atop the soft feathery hair of his friend. He let out a worried sigh.

"Riku… what's _wrong_ with you?"

* * *

They were on the sand now. Sora had moved them out of the pool once he made sure they were clean and Riku wouldn't start coughing up any more of the vile stuff again.

He situated himself in the shade against a wall so he could cool down, and pulled Riku half-sprawled onto his lap, his slightly damp, silver head resting against his chest. Apparently expelling all that black substance sapped everything out of the teenager– he was slumbering with his mouth slightly parted, lengthy frame rising and falling slowly.

Sora looked back on earlier this afternoon when he found his friend napping, his tongue catching in his throat.

_He said he had a rough morning. That must've meant…_

He swallowed back his worries momentarily and cast his eyes out over the sea. The calm waters were warm, reflecting the toasty hues the sky was beginning to present. Blue turned to orange, and the island seemed to glow with the sinking sun casting its last rays upon the shore. Sora's own cerulean eyes mirrored the sunset, shining like two miniature stars.

Waves resounded throughout the small land mass, filling the boy's ears with a peaceful hushing. A yawn climbed its way out of him and he stretched lazily, his muscles trembling as they were pulled taut. He shifted a little, which caused Riku to stir. He felt the muscles of the other tense and heard his breath still. The slow thumping of his heart sped up a little.

"…Sora?" A whisper rose from the figure laying on him.

"Yeah," It was less of a question and more of an explanation.

_Yeah, you did do all that. And I was there. And now I'm thinking of a way to fix it._

Riku inhaled shakily, and breathed out a thanks. As he tried to sit up, Sora's grip on him tightened.

"I can sit," the silverette explained, and the smaller boy let Riku up to lean against the chilled wall beside him. A few minutes passed, the air filled with tension.

Sora split the silence and let out a sharp, "So." He turned his head toward the other, noticing Riku didn't meet his stare.

_There's nothing at all interesting about your feet, Riku. _

Riku spoke, "Since… since the letter," he hesitated, then continued as he gave a small nod, "I had one right after the letter. Well, after you and Kairi left."

"So we could've…" Sora's eyebrows lowered in thought, a frown gracing his lips. He continued before Riku could say anything, "Was it as bad as right now?"

The white-haired boy responded with a shake of his head.

"Was it as bad as… this morning?"

The teen hesitated, before whispering, "No." The two lapsed back into silence as their minds swarmed with questions.

"I tried everyth-thing," Riku's voice broke. He swallowed and recovered it again.

"I can't do anything."

"Don't say that," Sora's voice was soft but stern. "We'll figure it out." He gave the other boy a small smile.

"We need to tell Kairi, you know," he added. It was met with more silence.

"Do you want me to tell her?"

A muffled _hnn _with a barely-noticeable nod signified his confirmation.

"I was going to tell the King," Sora didn't interrupt to ask how he would in such a short time. "He might know what's… what's happening."

The brunet blinked sympathetically. "That planet-"

Riku interrupted, "We'll deal with that later. There's still a couple weeks left… you never know." It sounded as if he didn't believe his own words, but the spiky-haired teenager didn't question him. He just nodded in determined agreement.

_We will fix this._

Not many words were said after that, until the sky blazed with the last few rays of the sun. Slowly, Sora stood up.

"Sleep over at my house tonight."

It wasn't a question, and Riku appreciated it.

* * *

I'd appreciate it if you would **review **and tell me how you like it so far! It means a lot to me.


	4. Repercussion

Sorry for such a long wait! There was a bunch of stuff going on all of a sudden, including my computer crashing, so I couldn't work on the story. But a new chapter's here, nice and long, for you guys. More bad news, though? This story will continue to update a lot less frequently once school starts, but I'll try hardest not to let it go completely.  
After going through some 358/2 Days stuff(which I won't put any of in here, just to let you guys know) I realized how hard it is to get characters, well, in character, especially with Riku. I think he's going to be a little more optimistic in my fic than the game, or at least in _some _parts. But we'll see.  
**Aria6**, I'm glad you're interested! I hope I won't disappoint you.  
**Shadow Oblivion**, hello haha, and thanks so much(again)! Your reviews always make me smile. Thank you for all your encouragement so far, it makes me so excited to know someone else likes my story enough to review it more than once! And yeah, I'm wondering what's happening with Riku too, heheheh.  
**Warning. **There will probably be spoilers in here for KHI, KHRe:CoM, and KHII. Don't say I didn't warn you! Also, I'm going to _try _and make it a darker fic, so there might be some cursing, and there will be violence and slightly disturbing images. Yep. Also, this is **not **a **romance**. If you're here looking for smut, sorry.

**Disclaimer. **I don't, nor will I ever own the Kingdom Hearts Franchise(or Disney, for that matter), and I definitely don't believe this is what's going to happen after KHII. I'm just making stuff up.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Repercussion**

**n. **an effect or result, often indirect or remote, of some event or action

**

* * *

  
**

They waited a little while longer before going back to the mainland. Both of their shirts were massively stained, and while Riku's was much more noticeable, Sora didn't want to take any risks. Fortunately, most if not all the inhabitants of their village retired early, and by the time they rowed back – the sky soaked in nautical twilight as it mourned the recent loss of its sun – there wasn't another soul in sight.

Well, almost.

"Sora! Riku!" And Kairi was coming, from the left. Riku noticed she had his clothes bundled in her arms, before his vision was blocked by Sora.

He had turned around, looking up at his friend with a hard and concerned look in his eyes. Effectively hiding their shirts from Kairi, he realized with delayed thoughts. But not for long.

"Riku, I was just at your house. I mended your clothes, and I was going to drop them off, but nobody was home…" She trailed off doubtfully.

"We're going to tell her now," Sora said, almost posing it as a question and an apology at the same time, and Riku knew he was also saying _I know we should do this when you're ready but there's nothing we can do now. _He nodded in response, then turned his head back to the auburn-haired girl who was approaching a little slower.

When Sora turned back around and shifted to the side a little, Riku saw Kairi's grip on his clothes tighten a fraction. Her eyes, pools of purple and blue, widened to the point where fear was clearly prominent. Her mouth opened and closed, voice temporarily lost.

"Sora, Riku, what…"

The brunet hesitated before taking a step towards the girl, hands raised, ready to explain.

"Kairi-"

"Something's wrong with me," Riku interrupted bluntly, walking forwards. "It's… it's hard to explain, but I can't stop it from happening, and I've tried everything but it won't stop…" His eyes couldn't meet hers, instead focusing down at his shoes. He felt their stares pierce his skin and send his heart racing.

Footsteps were heard, along with the soft sound of something being dropped, and suddenly Kairi was up against him in a tight hug. Muscles tense, he held up his arms a little.

"How come you didn't say anything?" She asked, and Riku could feel her sniffle against his shirt. Cautious arms finally wrapped around her slim frame and his vision blurred a little.

"I'm… I'm sorry," the silverette couldn't answer her directly; he couldn't say anything except an apology. He didn't want to explain what happened at the island yet, and Sora seemed to understand. A couple moments passed before they separated, and Kairi looked up at him, trying to meet his eyes. Her face was smudged partially with the black from his shirt.

Sora shattered the silence. "We're going to fix this." He moved to stand beside the two. The auburn-haired girl nodded, rubbing her eyes, before turning to pick up Riku's clothes. She handed them to the tall boy who thanked her quietly. They all seemed to let out a single breath, and some of the tension melted away.

"Kairi," the shorter boy started, grinning assuredly. "Riku's going to sleep over at my house tonight. How about we meet you at the island tomorrow?"

"Sure," she returned the smile and looked up at Riku again.

"I'll be there," Riku answered her silent question. He smiled back, but it was sad and tired, a mere echo of his real one.

"Well, I'll be going. Good night, you two!"

"Bye, Kairi!" Sora waved her off while Riku watched. Once she was out of sight, they began to make their way to Sora's house, side by side.

* * *

"My mom's asleep," the spiky-haired boy explained as they stepped through the door silently. "And my dad doesn't get home 'til later."

"I know," Riku smirked, making Sora chuckle softly and scratch the back of his head. Both knew each other's family's lives from the inside out, having spent so much time together.

"Okay, well. You wanna take a shower now?"

"You can go first. I need to call and tell my parents I'm staying over anyways."

"Alright. Go ahead and pick out a video game or something too, I'll only take a few minutes." The boy walked off, leaving Riku to stand in the entrance. Trying not to make any sound, he pulled off his shoes and socks, relishing the sensation of the cool tile against his feet. Going into the kitchen and grabbing the phone, he left a small message to the answering machine at his house, his parents also working late. He made his way into the living room – trying not to touch his clothes to anything – and picked out a racing game before settling down on the floor. Sea-green eyes scanned his surroundings calmly, and he allowed his mind to wander.

He must have drifted off, because Sora was shaking him delicately. Drops of water from the wet hair of his friend fell down onto his face and arms.

"Still tired?" Sora questioned gently. After he got a nod in response, he continued. "My dad is going to be home soon, so I'll ask him for some pajamas for you. None of my stuff fits you, since you're a giant."

"It's not my fault I have a midget freak for a best friend," he got hit upside the head mid-yawn, and saved his other teasing comments, instead rising up and going to the bathroom. Muffled insults wafted through the door as he wiped some of the fog off of the mirror.

A weary, melancholy boy looked back at him, with dark circles under his eyes and messy, tangled silver hair. The dark stains on his shirt stuck out even more in the white bathroom, like gaping holes in his body. The pale face in front of him let out a pensive sigh.

"I don't want the end of the day to be like this," he whispered to his reflection, eyes like the sea revealing his pent-up emotions.

_Maybe I should…? _

With only a little hesitation, he took a seat on the lid of the toilet, closed his eyes, and let out all the desperation and helplessness he had been bottling up.

"King, I need you," he called out. The words could barely be heard, but were soaked with feeling. A few moments passed with his back hunched and head hanging.

Then, a small shift in the air, and Riku slowly raised his gaze to see a tiny, familiar face smiling in front of him.

"Your Majesty!" He leapt off the seat and tried to hug his friend, but crashed to the floor after falling through the see-through figure. He groaned a little.

"Sorry, Riku," the King said brightly, moving to the side.

"No, it's okay…" Riku recovered to cross-legged, facing his friend. He opened his mouth to try and apologize, but was cut off when a gasp issued from the other's mouth. Mickey stared at the tainted yellow shirt.

"Riku, what happened?!"

The silverette winced, "Well, I was hoping you could help with that…" He looked anxiously at the shocked face near his, before recounting swiftly what had been happening since the bottle, and what went on at the island with Sora. Mickey didn't interrupt once, and stayed quiet a few minutes after Riku was done talking, deep in thought.

"…Well, Riku, I haven't seen or heard of this before. But I haven't met many people like you, who have sided and used the darkness without succumbing completely."

"So you don't know what's wrong me?" The silver-haired teen looked wrecked.

"Not entirely," Mickey stated tentatively, "but there are some things it could be-"

"Riku, my dad's home and he says you can have these. They might be a little big but they'll fit, so I'll put them on the- Y-Your Majesty?!" Sora had walked in, arms full with a bundle of clothes, and upon seeing Mickey he straightened his back and clapped his arms to the side in salute, Riku's pajamas going straight to the floor.

Mickey looked up at him, a smile returning to his face. "Hiya Sora!"

Sora bent down to retrieve the dropped bundle, never taking his eyes off the transparent mouse King. "How did you… how are you here?"

This time it was Riku who spoke up from his place on the floor. "If I need Mickey enough, and call out to him, he'll use some of his energy to see me. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but…" He turned his ashen face to the King.

"I don't have time to explain that. My power's fading quick, so I need to get straight to the punch." Sora closed the door all the way, taking a seat near the other two.

"So, as I said before, I don't know for sure what's happening to you. But there are a couple of possibilities. How often have you used any of your dark powers since you got back to Destiny Islands, Riku?"

"Well… I can't make a dark portal anymore, since the blast from Ansem's machine. And after the fight with Xemnas, I haven't used any magic. I only summoned my Keyblade a couple times."

There were a few minutes of silence as Mickey considered this. "…Because you use darkness as a weapon, you're different from a lot of other people. Aside from Ansem's and his apprentices' studies, no one knows much about how darkness can be used or manifested. It could be that, once you take in darkness, it has to come out somehow. Usually you change its form into a weapon or magic, but if you don't use it long enough it could start leaking out in a different way."

Sora piped up, "So, you're saying that when Riku isn't using any of his normal dark powers, it has to leak out somewhere else." He glanced over at his friend, who was oddly quiet, sea-green eyes pasted to the floor.

"Right. That means that all Riku would have to do is use his dark magic more often, and it shouldn't harm him anymore."

"That sounds pretty easy," the blue-eyed teen declared optimistically. Riku didn't look so convinced, however.

"You said there's more than one possibility," the silverette cut in faintly.

Mickey hummed in agreement. "Of course, this is all just guessing, so I may be wrong. But another reason is that all this could just be a side effect of you wielding darkness, and it's only taking place now because you've been abstaining from using it so much." His usually cheery voice gained a morose tone as he talked, and his ears drooped a little.

"If that's the case, it may never stop," Riku added with an air of finality. His eyes seemed to darken a little at the thought, and Sora frowned after hearing his words.

"That can't be it."

"Sora-"

"He's right, there's a chance of that not being it at all. Plus, even if it is, it might wear away after a while. But let me finish before we talk about details." Mickey swished his tail a little, the thin black appendage waving back and forth with ease. The other two pairs of eyes in the room went back to him.

"The last main cause I can think of right now is a rebound."

"Huh?" Sora's eyebrows pushed down, confusion evident in his eyes. Absentminded fingers fiddled with the clothing he still held in his arms. "What do you mean by rebound?"

"Well, darkness isn't inherently a bad element, but it's got various essences that change according to who's 'in' it, you can say. Once someone gets darkness in their system, usually they're corrupted and are consumed. Riku resisted that, but since he wielded it and manipulated it for his own uses, some of the more negative effects could have gradually built up. If so, then it was only a matter of time before it backlashed violently."

Sora seemed to be at a loss of what to say about the King's explanation, so he remained silent, registering all of what he just heard. The frown remained on his face while creases in his forehead appeared.

"So basically, there's no cure," Riku deadpanned. Mickey whipped his head up, glaring at the tall boy angrily while his tail lashed back and forth agitatedly.

"Don't go giving up just yet. I'm just speculating, so _none_ of those explanations could be it, Riku. It might be something totally different… But there is always a cure out there, we just gotta find it!" He ended on a more hopeful note, ears perking up again.

"Right!" Sora exclaimed also, his voice regained. "I'm sure we'll solve this, now that we have the King looking for something, too. Think positive, Riku!"

The silverette brightened a little after listening to his friends' words of encouragement, but remained still and quiet.

"One more thing," Mickey continued, eyes bright. "I'm still sending out a ship at the end of the month as I had originally planned, but I don't want you going before you figure out a cure to all this. I don't fear for the planet, as there seem to be people there taking care of a large portion of the Heartless, but it's better to seal the Keyhole than leave it. That's all I can say for now, I can't keep the connection any longer. See you!" He vanished with a wave before either of the boys could speak a word, leaving them in pensive silence. They stayed sitting on the floor, thinking over all that the King had spoken. Riku wasn't sure how much time had passed, but by the time he moved to get up, his joints were stiff from sitting so long, and he heard cracks sounding from Sora's back as the shorter boy stretched.

"I won't be long," the aquamarine-eyed boy stated softly, taking the offered clothes and setting them on the counter. Sora seemed to want to say something, his eyes searching for Riku's, but resigned after a few moments. A short nod was all he left before stepping out of the bathroom.

Riku chanced a look over to Sora in the midst of their game, studying his expression. The two boys sat on the couch together, controllers clenched in their hands and eyes shining up with the light from the television screen. Several races had gone by, the silverette winning most of them while Sora spent half the time being incredibly loud and frustrated, the other half silent and focused.

During one of Sora's silent moments, aqua eyes scanned the brunet's face quickly, taking note of the lowered eyebrows and small pout. And the eyes – blue was infused with determination and adept concentration – they were so like Sora's eyes, but different. Riku could see Roxas in them, causing him to momentarily lose track of his place in the game. It wasn't that Sora hadn't always been an extremely diligent and fierce person, but it seemed that his stronger emotions brought out the immersed Nobody in a less than physical way. His voice would change subtly to a deeper, rougher tone, and there would just be this air of _Roxas _around him. No, Riku didn't believe the blond had simply disappeared at all. He turned his attention back to the game, swiftly taking back the lead.

"Oh come on, this is totally unfair," Sora wailed briefly after his seventh loss. "Why are we even playing racing games? You're too good at those."

Riku let out a noise of protest as the spiky-haired teen got up to switch games. "You're just a sore loser! It's not my fault you can't play for your life-" He was interrupted abruptly when a pillow hit him across the face, causing an indignant squawk to burst out from the assaulted boy.

"Just for that, I'm putting in my _favorite _fighting game. Tough luck," he added in response to the immediate disapproval.

The tables were flipped for the rest of the night. It was now Sora's turn to dominate each match while Riku occasionally emitted bouts of irritation in the form of grunts and snide remarks. The minutes and matches dragged on to a point where the brunet claimed victory almost instantly, and wondered what was wrong. He looked over at his friend to find him with his eyes closed and mouth slightly parted, his still-wet hair haphazardly falling over his face. After carefully beating Riku's character to a pulp, he pressed the pause button on his controller and got up to turn the television off. Gently, he shook the snoozing teen.

"Come on, let's go to my room," he stated quietly to the yawning silverette. They mutely tread to the spiky-haired boy's room, and while Sora shuffled through his closet to get extra blankets, Riku yawned again, peering tiredly at the messy surroundings.

Sora placed a pillow and the blankets on the foot of the bed. When he peeled his own covers half way and sat down, looking at his friend expectantly, the taller teenager shook his head.

"…I'd rather sleep on the floor, if you don't mind."

Sora frowned. "Riku, I'm sure the bed is still big enough-"

"No…" He blinked slowly before continuing. "I don't want to ruin your sheets or anything."

"What do you- oh." About to say something else, but thinking twice, Sora instead dumped the blankets on the ground right beside the bed and threw down a couple pillows. He flipped the lights off before climbing into his own bed, and the night was overtaken with the absence of sound.

A few moments passed of Sora restlessly staring at the dark lump of blankets below him, mulling over the events of the day, before the lump shifted a little and two glowing sea-green eyes were settled on his face. He'd have thought it weird that they seemed to be casting light of their own if not for the moonlight filtering in through the window and catching in the already-bright orbs.

He caught a murmured "Sorry" as the eyes never left his own, and he found sadness reflecting back at him.

"For what?" This time, Sora was put in fleeting darkness as Riku's gaze shifted downwards, the mass of blankets shrugging. He waited a while for the head of moon-like hair to rise again, and the two luminous globes were present once more.

"Thanks."

"You too," Riku replied inaudibly, before closing his eyes and sighing.

"Good night!" Sora whispered loudly, closing his own eyes. A content hum in return reached his ears before he drifted off into darkness.

* * *

_Running across the small island made him even more exhilarated, hyped up for the spar soon to come. Soft crunches came from below every time he set his foot down heavily on the sand, occasionally kicking up a cloud of dust. No guilt came to his mind for tripping Sora earlier, not when they fell into such old habits. He didn't look back once, didn't make sure the blue-eyed boy was behind him. Riku knew he would be catching up, passing him maybe, if he slowed down. So he didn't. _

_Island air blew through his hair, sending silver tendrils waving all around him. His bangs flew back, and his vision was a little clearer, aqua eyes no longer curtained by white. The island – the world – was clearer, brighter, in that moment, saturated with the happiness emanating from the boy's thoughts, and he wondered if it was always like this and he didn't notice; wondered if the world was like this when he was little. _

_It must have been. He remembered the joy he had felt every passing moment with innocence to spare and an equally unruly friend by his side. Before Kairi, before the Storm, before everything, there was only Sora and Riku with wooden swords and ideas and adventures. Back when both cheated at their games just as much as they actually played them, but neither would mind. And wasn't it so much like now? He allowed his mind to drift back to the present, and agreed with himself. Yeah, it was like now. They were just a little bigger, Sora's hair a little spikier and his own a little longer. They still had their swords, and their ideas and their adventures. _

_They could go back, he decided. Just for today. They could be little kids. _

_And just like that, he forgot why he had ever been unhappy in the first place. _

_Feet were sprinting across the bridge now, to the Paopu tree. His body had long since gotten used to the Island's conditions, and he barely sweat with trivial exercises like running from one side of the tiny land mass to the other. His smile widened – had it been on his face the whole time? – and he crouched down to pick up the two wooden swords below the tree, battered but still whole, still complete since they were small kids. The hilts were smooth in his hands, worn down and splinter-free from so much handling. His bangs settled down over his eyes again, but the world was still so bright–_

_"No cheating, huh?" _

_And he turned around with exuberance – Sora, let's be little kids again – his eyes meeting such familiar blue ones – just for today – blue like the sky, like the sea, like–_

_Ice. _

_His gaze moved up a little, and found shorter, blonder hair that spiked off to the side. _

_"Hi, Riku." And suddenly, the world got a lot darker. _

_"Relax." The words were soft, mute, and Riku didn't really see the blonde's mouth move. "I was thinking we could use our Keyblades…" They sort of faded off as Riku got trapped in the cold, blue prison of the other's accusing stare. _

_"…You want to hurt me." He eyed the blade, a hard, cruel gray that contrasted so much with the bright setting around them, but that quickly changed as the sky turned overcast and everything else seemed to die. A whisper of black cloth that wasn't really there touched his aqua-orange eyes. _

_"Something like that." _

_Riku thought he heard an echo of something else – a kind protest, softer words –but they were soon forgotten as Roxas took a threatening step forward, and the silverette responded with a flinch and a thought of why he hadn't summoned his own Keyblade yet. But it was too late, and his jaw clenched as he raised the two swords to defend the descending gray weapon. _

_Hope splintered in half with a sickening crack._

_

* * *

_Sora woke up a few minutes before dawn to a strange gurgling sound and a foul smell.

The room was dark, as the only window there was facing west and opposite the rising sun, so he lay in bed for a few minutes wondering _why _he was waking up this early. He let his brain catch up with the present before he rolled over and looked down at Riku _– oh, Riku's here –_ fighting feverishly against the blankets. Bright blue eyes adjusted to see obsidian gushing out of said teen's mouth, making the pool of black around him grow. His eyes were clenched shut, but tears of ink spread across his pale cheeks. A pained moan issued from the struggling figure on the floor and Sora jumped into action, scrambling to get out of bed and kneel down by his friend. He shook gently at first, his hands feeling sweat mixed with the black fluid, but shook harder when it garnered no response.

"Riku! **Riku!**"

Sea-green eyes snapped open violently, displaying raw fear and pain blended with some other emotion he couldn't place, but it was all glazed and distant, as if Riku wasn't really there, still stuck in his nightmare. They jerked to the side and connected with Sora's own sky-blue ones, and for a split-second everything froze. He could barely make out Riku's pupils dilating, then contracting.

Then, the moment was gone, and the sound of fabric ripping sliced through the room as Sora turned slightly, watching Way to Dawn materialize underneath him. He looked back at Riku's eyes, noticing they were still not quite there. Jumping back, the sharp edge nearly missed his stomach when Riku slashed at him. The delirious teen struggled to stand up, ebony still seeping from his mouth and eyes.

"Riku, stop! It's me, it's _Sora._" Those last words appeared to break through Riku's fevered daze, and he blinked and coughed weakly, almost crumpling from the pain and confusion. The deadly weapon slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, vanishing in a swirl of shadows and flashes. Hesitantly, Sora moved over to the unbalanced teen, and placed his hands on trembling shoulders, looking up into scared eyes. They seemed to hold each other's gazes for a moment before Riku fell against Sora exhaustedly.

"Please… R-Rox…" Sora heard the whispered plea, unfinished, and his own frame tensed at the same time the one against his did, although for a different reason. The brunet paused at the half-mentioned name of his Nobody. Riku heaved.

The smaller teen didn't waste a second getting him to the bathroom, where he fell immediately in front of the toilet. His hunched back shook forcibly as he continued to dry-heave into the porcelain bowl, and eventually black vomit churned up from his stomach and spilled out. It continued for what seemed like hours, as Sora crouched behind him with a hand rubbing circles into the other's shaking back. The brunet's nose scrunched up in disgust; the smell and sound was revolting, and he didn't bother looking into the vomit-splattered toilet, already beginning to feel nauseated himself. Nevertheless, he stayed by the suffering boy, flushing the repugnant contents when Riku didn't seem to throw up any more, and keeping a warm hand on his back when he continued to dry-heave. After a while, the heaving turned to sobbing, and Sora gathered the weak frame into his arms awkwardly, ignoring his ineptitude at being able to soothe people very well. Shudders wracked through both bodies.

"I'm sorry," Riku managed to gasp out between the sobs and hiccups.

"Shhh…" Sora found himself making the pacifying sound with ease. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

They stayed like that until the sobbing turned to occasional hics and sniffs and the intense shaking died into barely discernible trembles. Once the blue-eyed boy believed his friend was calm enough, he took in a big breath of air and exhaled slowly, coaxing the other to do the same, and lifted them both up slowly.

"Why don't you take a shower, I'll get you some clean clothes." He received a nod and a trembling intake of air in response before he stepped out, silently shutting the door behind him. He waited for the sound of water to start before leaving to get clothing.

First, he washed his hands and arms off in the kitchen, analyzing what he had to clean up. Luckily, both his parents left before dawn to work or run errands, so he didn't have to explain anything as he took another pair of his dad's pajamas from his parents' closet. He slipped back into the bathroom, hanging the clean garments on the door of the towel cupboard, and took the dirty clothes from the floor. Noticing some dark smudges on the ground, he used the discarded material to wipe it up. Soundlessly he exited the room, wondering vaguely if Riku had fallen asleep in the shower. Aside from the muted noises in the bathroom, the house was completely quiet. Sora took this in, then shuffled back into his room and threw the dirty garbs into his hamper. He spent the next couple minutes scrubbing the carpet by his bed, ridding it of the inky stains.

Riku stumbled in just as he was tossing the wet rags and blankets where the other dirty clothes were. His bright eyes, devoid of any traces of fatigue, glanced up at murky aqua irises and a chalky face, and Sora realized how exhausted the other must still be.

"Hey, why don't you sleep a little more? You can take the bed. I'm not tired anymore," he added the last part in explanation to Riku's expression of protest. The lanky silverette swayed a little before ambling over to the bed. His toes curled inward when he felt wet carpet below him, the result of Sora's cleaning. He looked back at the alert boy with a look of uneasiness on his face.

"Are you sure?" The words were spoken delicately, as if being said any louder would break something in him. Sora nodded reassuringly, and the depleted boy folded into the soft mattress, pulling the covers over himself slowly. Sighing in relief, turquoise eyes flickered close, and the boy was asleep almost instantly.

Sora spent the rest of his morning cleaning, taking a short shower himself, and doing laundry. He did so with his mind mostly blank, pushing back all the thoughts that kept trying to resurface. Instead he focused on the lack of sound throughout his home, and the pink light that began to soak the walls in its sunrise hue.

By the time Riku woke up again, smells of breakfast cleared his groggy mind. Normally he'd be more nauseated than he was by the smell of food, but it wasn't as bad. He shuffled into the kitchen – noticing there was no hint of what happened earlier, the floors scrubbed clean – and spotted Sora, gliding from the fridge to the counter and back again. He took a seat at the table, watching the boy move around. A yawn alerted Sora of Riku's presence, and he hummed happily.

"Good morning."

"Morning," Riku's voice was still soft and fragile, and he stared down at the wooden surface below him. It stayed that way until a plate of food took up his vision, a happy face made of fruit and toast. The silverette couldn't contain a faint but sincere laugh, and Sora grinned as he sat down with his own plate. The meal started with silence, only the sound of silverware against plate breaking it every few seconds.

Sora seemed to consume everything in record time, while Riku merely picked at his with trembling hands and disinterest. He hadn't eaten much at all in the past week, and his stomach was protesting fervently at its complete emptiness, but he was afraid eating would provoke his already weakened insides and cause him to vomit again. The boy across from him noticed his hesitance with great dissatisfaction.

"You have to eat, Riku."

"I'm not hungry-"

Sora cut him off with a critical snort. "Yeah right. You just threw up pretty much everything in you." The silverette flinched at the harshness stemming from the words, but he ignored it and continued. "I'm surprised you can even stay sitting up, let alone stand and walk."

Riku knew he was right. He was already suffering the effects of his physical breakdown, with his body vulnerable and shaky after every little action.

"You won't even have enough strength to row to the Island today, or get to the dock, and… if this gets worse, I don't know what I'll do." The last part was said as a threat, but it was feeble and the taller boy heard the desperation behind it.

_I don't want to have searched_ worlds_ for you just to have you give up in my house._

And with that, the silverette slowly ate his breakfast, aware of the brunet's eyes on him the whole time. It took a long while, but Riku managed to finish it and keep it down.

"Thanks." He looked up to see the grin back on Sora's face, and answered with a small smile of his own. It didn't reach his eyes, but it was enough for now, and the spiky-haired teen took the plates as Riku left to change into his own clothes, the waver in his step a little less existent.

* * *

By the time they got to their play island, the sun was at its highest point in the sky. All the regulars were there waiting for them – Kairi was teaching Selphie how to make a seashell necklace on the dock, while Wakka and Tidus were sparring.

"About time you two made it!" Tidus shouted at Sora and Riku as they tied their boats to the dock. Kairi and Selphie giggled at the remark, not looking up from their work until the two boys hoisted themselves onto the wooden planks beside them.

Sora yelled back at Tidus, "I bet today was the earliest you got out of bed since school ended, Tidus!" The girls' giggles broke into loud guffaws when the boy stopped his attacks on Wakka to squawk at the Sora indignantly, earning a smack in the head from Wakka's blitzball.

"Hey, no fair!"

"All's fair in love and war, ya?"

"Well in that case, I'll stop going easy on you!"

Once the laughing subsided and the match continued seriously, Kairi looked up at Riku, tapping his leg.

"Hmm?" The silverette stopped watching the spar and glanced down at the girl, and he realized Kairi was questioning him with her eyes. Selphie's humming blended with the noises of Tidus' attacks, the small girl completely absorbed in her necklace. 'It's okay now,' Riku mouthed to the worried girl, ending it with a smile. She seemed content with his answer, and smiled back before going back to her own necklace.

Riku looked back at Sora, who was dividing his attention between the spar and Riku and Kairi's quiet exchange. Once he saw that sea-green eyes were focused on him, he grinned and started towards Tidus and Wakka.

"Hey, why don't we play some blitzball? It'll be– OW! Hey, what was that for?!" Sora yelped when a blitzball hit his head in response.

"Sorry man, I was aiming for Riku."

"…Wait a second-"

"That actually sounds like a good idea, Sora," Tidus interrupted Riku cheerfully, lowering his wooden sword. "Me and Wakka against you two rookies."

Sora laughed. "Rookies my butt…"

"…We'll totally cream you losers." Riku finished, smirking.

"Hah, you're talking to the two best blitzball players on the islands, here!"

"_Boys_," Selphie sighed dramatically. Kairi hummed in agreement.

And so the game started amidst smart remarks, several shoes being chucked at one another before they all ran into the water.

Riku was tired out by the time they reached the small island, but was soon rejuvenated by the cold water crashing against him and the playful banters of the other boys. Now, he was simply enjoying the nostalgic emotions that were creeping into his heart and the warm summer's sun heating up his skin.

Everything seemed muted somehow, although Riku's entire focus was on the game. The waves became hushed, as well as Sora's and Tidus' insults and the cheers wafting from the dock. Normally, at times like this, the silver-haired teen's thoughts would turn inwards, centering on darker subjects; however, even his thoughts grew quieter, and all sounds were muffled by the intensity of his _feelings. _The ocean became clearer, the sky became brighter, and his heart was simply _overwhelmed _at the fact that his friends were here, together, playing as if they had never stepped foot off of the miniature island in their lives. The illness was still there, but it wasn't happening now, and that's all that mattered.

And if his thoughts had gotten a little louder, Riku would have noticed that he came to the conclusion that all the pain he'd been experiencing was worth these moments.

The blitzball game had ended shortly after Kairi and Selphie decided to join in – the intention of making goals quickly changed to how many times you could hit your opponent's head with the ball, and swiftly after, a dunking contest. Soon enough they were all too exhausted and out of breath to do anything, so they dragged themselves to the shore with soaked hair and waterlogged clothes.

After a few minutes of laying on the sand, Kairi spoke up.

"…Anyone hungry?"

"I'm so hungry, I could eat Tidus, ya?"

"Wakka, you…" Tidus' growls were cut off by Sora and Selphie moaning conjointly.

"Oh my gosh I'm so hungryyy!"

Kairi laughed before she got up and ambled over to where the Secret Place was. She returned with a large picnic basket in her hands.

"Ta-da!" She opened up the wooden flaps to reveal around two dozen sandwiches, more than enough for each of them.

"Whoah, Kairi, amazing!" Tidus dove into the basket instantly, pulling out two sandwiches and stacking them on top of each other before stuffing them into his mouth.

"_Mrrr-mm fi-fuh beft ck evv-fr_," he tried to speak around all the food crammed into his mouth, neither Riku nor Sora understanding any of it.

"Not just my mom!" Kairi cried out hotly, "I helped make them too!"

Everyone around her burst into laughter before taking their own portions. Tidus earned a smack later on for attempting to shove another sandwich into his mouth before even finishing the first ones, while Wakka and Selphie tried not to laugh with their own mouths full. Kairi and Riku seemed to be the only ones taking their time eating in a polite manner, although Sora consumed with such speed and grace that Riku thought it amazing the boy had eaten that prior to this. He himself ate slower so he wouldn't end up having the same incident as that morning, and Sora promptly consumed his remaining share without noticing.

Eventually, the supply of sandwiches ran out, most of the teenagers sprawled out on the sand with their hands on their bellies. The sky had just begun to turn pink as a pained groan issued from Tidus.

"I think I ate too much…"

"You idiot... Maybe if you finished what you were chewing before starting on another sandwich…" Selphie replied teasingly.

"We gotta get going, ya?" Wakka mentioned from his own position on the sand. "Remember, my dad wanted you two to help us out with the treehouse before night."

"Don't wanna mooove…"

"Stop being a baby," the petite brunette replied, "I bet there's ice cream at Wakka's house."

Tidus sprung up instantly, jogging over to where he threw his sword and shoes. Wakka chuckled at hoisted himself up, offering a hand to Selphie.

"See you tomorrow!" Sora called to them as they headed to the dock.

"Yeah, so we can beat you at blitzball again," Riku added loudly. Tidus turned around to stick out his tongue before hopping in his boat, and the three remaining islanders watched the others row back to the mainland. After a few minutes, Riku yawned loudly and closed his eyes.

"Hey, we're gonna have a team discussion after your nap, so don't sleep too long," Sora prodded the other boy. The silverette nodded before rolling onto his side. He could hear Sora and Kairi begin talking, but their voices were fading – before he could figure out if they were moving away from him or if he was just tired, the world faded into darkness.

He didn't sleep too long. The sun was still up, although the sky was fairly darker as he peered up at it. He heard Sora and Kairi coming towards him, probably returning from the walk they started as Riku was falling into his slumber. He rose to a sitting position when they came close.

"Team meeting time?"

"Yup!" Sora replied with a bounce. He plopped down on the sand facing Riku, Kairi following suit. The taller boy waited patiently for either of them to begin, willing the fatigue to clear out of his head.

"So," Sora started again after a few moments, "aside from the occasional emergency lesson, we're going to put a halt on Kairi's training."

"…Huh?" The aquamarine-eyed teen blinked bewilderedly, before frowning. "If this is about me, then-"

"Yeah, it is about you, Riku," Kairi spoke up this time. "We think it's better if we put all this training stuff on hold and help you get better."

"Don't I at least get a say in this?" He began to get angry, not at them, but more at himself for feeling so much like a burden. _None of this would have happened if I hadn't…_

"Yeah, you can have a say in it," the brunet replied. "Do you want us to stay over at your house tonight, or do you want to stay over at mine? Kairi's parents get home earlier than ours, so-"

"That's not what I mean!" Riku snapped, his eyes narrowed.

"Riku, look." Sora's tone became serious. "This isn't some little thing, okay? You getting better is first priority, over Kairi's training and the other planet _and _His Majesty-"

"-And it's not like those aren't important," Kairi broke in with a softer voice. "But we can't just ignore what's happening." Riku came to the conclusion that Sora briefed Kairi on what had happened yesterday and this morning while he slept.

"Of course, we aren't going to ignore the planet and Heartless and King Mickey, but those can wait a little longer. The letter _did_ state that the Heartless were mostly being taken bare of. Besides," Sora paused to meet Riku's furious eyes with his own. "We can't just leave you behind."

Riku blinked, the rage leaving his face in an instant to be replaced with surprise. But he just as quickly schooled his expression back into anger, and rose abruptly to walk away.

"Riku!" Kairi called after him in distress, but he kept moving towards the Paopu Island.

"Riku, stop." The tall boy's retreating back halted suddenly at Sora's command. The blue-eyed boy ran over to him, with Kairi not far behind. Once he moved in front of Riku, he noticed his head lowered so his white bangs hid his eyes from view, and his shoulders were trembling slightly. Sora's eyebrows pulled up with concern.

"Riku…"

"I screwed up again, didn't I." His voice was soft and insecure again, but still had traces of resentment in it.

Sora sighed softly as Kairi hesitantly stood beside him.

"This isn't your fault, Riku. And we don't blame you for anything, okay?"

"Don't say that-"

"No, I'm gonna say it," Sora cut him off stubbornly. "No one's blaming you here, and you definitely can't control what's happening right now. Me and Kairi are _going _to help you. Because we _want_ to. Because you're our _friend._ You're not forcing us to do this, and you don't get a say in it because there's nothing to discuss, really. We'll figure it all out, trust me." And suddenly, Sora was up against him, embracing the tall frame tightly, with Kairi joining in seconds later.

"Riku, we _forgive _you. We forgave you a long time ago."

A sob.

"When will you forgive _yourself_?"

* * *

Didn't mean for it to end on such a sad note... oh well! Since I don't know when I'll be updating next, I'll give you two little facts that should cheer you up:  
1. I don't write tragedies! Even if it seems bad now, things'll pick up eventually.  
2. Next chapter will be in Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion! You know what that means... your favourite Restoration Committee!


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